Canonical is jumping the gun and has started releasing bits of the artwork for the upcoming Ubuntu 13.04, besides the default wallpaper they’ve already shown a few days ago.

Ubuntu 13.04 will be one of the most important releases in quite a while. It follows the troubled release of Ubuntu 12.10 with its online and Amazon issues.

The default wallpaper proposed for Ubuntu 13.04 (Raring Ringtail) is not the most inspired choice for the new operating system, at least not according to the community.

Besides the wallpaper, the team that works for Ayatana Design, has also proposed a few changes for Nautilus (actually now it’s called Files, but Canonical is still sticking with the old name), Ubuntu Software Center, and the Update Manager.

“When any of these three applications are running, the Launcher tiles they are mounted on should be illuminated in the following colours: Nautilus: #af4853, Software center: #ffbf87, and Software updater: #4c9e39”, stated the official announcement.

“So, packages shipping Nautilus, Software Center and Software updater should define in their .desktop file the proper X-Unity-IconBackgroundColor field with the mentioned colors” ended the entry on Launchpad.

It’s safe to say that the reactions were not enthusiastic and the people have criticized the choice of icons.

“The green for the Software Updater tile is rather unusual as the icon itself doesn't use green at all, and purple for the Files tile is also a bit strange.

I think the static 'progress bar' on the Software Center and Updater icons is rather confusing. How will those work when there is an active progress bar?“ said Jeremy Bicha, one of the users from Launchpad.

The wallpaper was not all that well received either and people have complained it’s too similar with the one used in Ubuntu 12.10 and it’s not a proper evolution.

Given the fact that Ubuntu 13.04 it’s still a long way off, it’s safe to say that things could change. In any case, if you like to get the complete icon package, you should check out the official Launchpad entry.